A downtown Seoul in early January when PM 2.5 level was exceptionally high _ The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it will ban old diesel-run vehicles in old central district of the city from next year. /Korea Times file

By Kim Se-jeongThe Seoul Metropolitan Government will ban old diesel-run vehicles within the city's four remaining ancient gates _ Namdaemun in the south, Doneuimun in the west, Heunginjimun in the east and Sukjeongmun in the north _ sometime next year, a bold move to tackle fine dust in the city."We're just waiting for the Ministry of Environment to complete drafting the vehicle grade system. We're projecting the ban to enter into force sometime next year," an anonymous city official said. The vehicle grade system is a work in progress, through which all vehicles registered in the country will be classified into seven categories _ from cleanest at zero to dirtiest at six. Vehicles in category six _ diesel vehicles manufactured in 2005 or before _ will be banned from entering the traditional city center.The move was already forecast in March last year when the city designated the 16,700-square-meter city center as a "green transport zone." The city moved fast following last week's high particulate matter (PM) 2.5 concentration in the air over Seoul.To reduce PM 2.5 concentrations, public vehicles were banned on roads depending on their license plate numbers and public transportation in the capital was free, but Mayor Park drew backlash from critics for wasting taxpayers' money on the latter measure. Holding an emergency press conference on Jan. 21, he defended his measures and called for a mandatory driving ban covering all vehicles. Currently, the ban is only applicable to public-owned vehicles and vehicles of civil servants. No private owners are required to participate. The city is vigorously pushing private companies to participate in the driving ban. On Monday, the city said 23 companies, including Woongjin Coway, a water purifier maker, expressed their intentions to participate in the driving ban.As fine dust is a growing threat, the city has put in place measures to keep it under control for years.Regarding PM 2.5, 30 percent of it is believed to be generated from vehicles. PM 2.5 is believed to be a deadly cancer-causing substance.In 2012, the city blocked old diesel vehicles from crossing the city borderline. Last year, the ban was enlarged to cover Incheon and parts of Gyeonggi Province. Since 2003, Seoul has been helping 340,000 vehicles install emission reduction devices on their vehicles or dump their vehicles. The local government subsidizes the installation cost _ up to 100 percent _ and new vehicle purchases. Currently, 1,578 vehicles in the city run without any reduction devices and the city authority is working to catch them. Vehicle owners not using the emission reduction device can be fined up to 2 million won.